Originally Posted by
jnats
It is true (not just marketing) that metal moves. All materials have deflection and movement. Metal is no different, and the very edge a very sharp razor can snap with a brisk stropping- Timing is everything (to the observer) the part were it gets interesting is I observed this the other night after a late night shave following a day of microscope use and went and stropped on autopilot and regretted it, as usually I let my blades rest and strop later- so I put it under the scope and looked at the edge again. It was different for sure. -the amount we're talking about with proper stropping technique is so small, that from what I saw on a Dorko steel full hollow (steel type and carbide size as well as blade geometry are variables as well- this should not be overlooked) at only 500x with a professional quality Light microscope(usb scopes are not 500 or 1000x- Under 100x at best. I know, I have a "1000x" one too)- Stropping(well broken in linen- brisk and then shell right after a shave)
its effect was similar to jointing (the edge had not yet been jointed)- and it left the most perfectly straight edge- slightly truncated, a small flat at the bevel edge. still HHT 4/5 and more importantly still smooth for a dry atg. It was only better than a shave ready non jointed edge. So, yes. It can snap off the very edge- or high points at the edge- more than what removal of a false edge with stopping would take- but if the bevel is set right, it's just the excess of infinity that the edge didn't require- everything required of an edge to shave perfectly is safe from stropping with proper technique after shaving- it's the last .2% of stupid sharp that is forfeited for better refinement. Therefore- I think that with proper shaving and stropping technique the only bits bent so far to be susceptible to immediate stropping are the least supported ones-the ones that shouldn't be there anyways- the thinning of the herd only makes it better. Of course, that's with jnats, scoring and snapping a material only works if the material adjacent to score line is sound. With jagged stria of a synthetic- I could imagine someone jumping over a picket fence and getting their coat caught on the way over- it's not going to break evenly at the top stringer every time- more commonly, unevenly. So I might be interested to see the effects of stropping after shave with synthetic edges- will if refine them further or leave them jagged or dull.
From what I found though- I will be experimenting further with shaving and more enticing: spine up- mm long light strops with shaving pressure against the shell right while at the hones- finishing without jointing- then normal linen and shell stropping as a substitute procedure for jointing on a stone- it had the same end result effect, but better and didn't require additional honing to bring the edge back. It's still n of 1 at this point- but initial discovery was a pleasant surprise. I think jointing on a strop and then a couple finishing laps may just be a break through alternative jointing technique (and may push the envelope further- the less you remove from a squared edge- the less random collateral excavations happen, so the more refined it is (this is the mathematical principal upon which jointing at finishing works better compared to jointing before bevel set- the less alterations you have to make, the less entropy will you introduce) - as unlike the hone, the strop doesn't take a properly honed edge too far back as it is much more selective in what material it removes from the edge ...